As you may have been able to tell from my first couple posts on UNW, I am very (perhaps excessively) interested in dating, relationships, and the general dynamics between the sexes. Having studied social science in college and grad school, I find few things more intriguing than the theories that govern human behavior. Plus, everyone [...]

In junior high school, everyone was required to take Home Economics class, which the oh-so-modernized school system referred to as Life Skills. In eighth grade, everyone took cooking class. I only vaguely remember learning how to make pancakes, but I remember Mike Duke, who sat behind me. He used to wear rock band T-shirts and [...]

Sometimes, I feel a little naive. I do really believe that part of this whole being in love thing is truly 100% believing that the other person will never do anything to intentionally hurt you. That safety is such an intrinsic part of it.
Yet, it can be so frightening to hear how just plain cruel [...]

My favorite part of getting to know someone is the beginning.
You know, when you are actually fun.
When you have SO many hilarious stories to tell.
When you’re not really sure if you are crossing a line by saying something- but you say it anyway because you have nothing to lose.
When you honestly don’t know what that [...]

For me, this past Sunday was the perfect way to ring in the summer months. Although May and June have been unseasonably cool and rainy here on the east coast, Sunday was a good reminder that the best months of summer are still yet to come.
It was sunny and 75 with no noticeable humidity, and [...]

In 2004, I voted for John Kerry. I was twenty and proud to be voting in my first presidential election but when I checked the boxes on the absentee ballot that my parents had mailed to my college dorm room, I knew little more about the candidates than their first and last names. I voted [...]

(Originally guest posted here.)
Lately, I’ve found myself complaining a lot about my job. Words like “understaffed” and “overworked” have been rolling off my tongue. However, when I find myself ruminating a little too much, I just whisper a sentence to myself to make it all seem sunny again.
“At least it’s not KFC.”
Yes, KFC, home of the [...]

You know how you know that you have been drinking too much?
This morning I spent a good twenty minutes in the shower making sure the day was actually Monday and not Sunday. I had to recall specific events and relate them to a day in order to figure out the date. If it was in [...]

While I was talking to one of my friends recently, he related to me a story about a foiled pickup attempt he had experienced.
According to him, he had planned to approach the hostess of the restaurant where he was eating. Having just moved to a new city, he had conspired to tell her he was [...]

People who talk about their dreams are actually trying to tell you things about themselves they’d never admit in normal conversation. - Chuck Klosterman
I love that quote.
Because it makes so much sense to me. Telling someone about your wildest dreams is similar to drinking sambuca out of an ice cream pail until things get fuzzy [...]

It’s a dreary Wednesday. The weekend and its promise for beautiful weather is a few days away. What’s keeping your spirits up in the meantime? Here are some things that brighten my days.

Photo courtsey of Apartment Therapy
Sunshine slipping through your miniblinds. Chocolate milk. The scent of cinnamon. Cereal and milk. Crossword puzzles. An organized [...]

So, some of you may have heard that I’m in a wedding next week. Actually, if you follow me on twitter there’s no way you would NOT know about this wedding because when I first tried my dress on I said something like
“Oh sweet baby J. My boobs look like Scar Jo’s. I’m scared”.
And then [...]

While at a party this weekend, there was a lull in conversation, when one woman broke in. “Have you ever had a situation where a friend of yours is stuck in a horrible relationship, and you don’t know what to do about it?”
All the sudden, there were multiple voices layered over one another. 
Everyone, it seemed, [...]